Celtics-Lakers Preview

By GREG BEACHAMPosted Jun 05 2010 8:30PM

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Rajon Rondo often enjoys returning to his room at the Celtics' hotel and watching tape of a Boston victory before he goes to sleep.

The losses, not so much.

Yet Rondo did just that after the NBA finals opener Thursday with teammate Kendrick Perkins, ordering room service and watching the replay of the Los Angeles Lakers' decisive win. In his own room elsewhere in the hotel, Kevin Garnett did the same thing - twice.

``You learn a lot about yourself when you lose,'' Garnett said. ``You learn a lot about yourself when you're down. This shows what you're made of.''

While Rondo and Perkins muted the television, Garnett turned it up to hear every unflattering thing said about the Celtics. Yet all three came away from the film session with two conclusions: Kobe Bryant is awfully good, but Boston still can compete with the Lakers.

``That might be the first time after a loss that I watched a game again so quickly,'' Rondo said Saturday before Boston's workout at the Lakers' training complex. ``This isn't the first round any more. You don't have a lot of time to get things right. I think I correct my mistakes better when I see them.''

Rondo, Perkins and their teammates all promised increased intensity in every aspect of their considerable games when they look to avoid an 0-2 series hole Sunday night in Game 2. After staggering into this finals rematch with an unimpressive effort, Boston hopes focus and adjustments will make their trip out West worthwhile.

``Everybody gets punched,'' Celtics big man Glen Davis said. ``Everybody gets knocked out. It's about how you get up. We got punched. We got dazed. It's about how you react to it.''

The Celtics all realize that while Bryant's offensive artistry is responsible for most of the attention directed at him, particularly after 12 30-point games already in this postseason, he's a perennial all-defensive team selection for a reason. Rondo used his film session to analyze exactly what Bryant did to slow down both the Celtics and their young point guard.

``He's a good defensive player, and we all knew that,'' Rondo said. ``He did a great job on me. A lot of what they do on both ends keys off Kobe.''

Bryant guarded Rondo at times during the 2008 finals largely because the matchup left him free to help out on other defensive matchups while daring Rondo to beat them.

After Rondo shredded Cleveland and Orlando in consecutive playoff series, he's possibly the Celtics' single biggest offensive threat. The Lakers concentrated on using Bryant's superior size to direct Rondo into tough areas of the court.

``You don't want to overcommit too much, but it's a full-time job because he's very smart,'' Bryant said. ``He gets after it quite a bit. It takes a great deal of energy and effort to key in on him.''

So everybody played a role. When Rondo slipped underneath the basket for difficult layup attempts in the first half of Game 1, both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum rudely swatted away one of his shots. Lakers coach Phil Jackson drilled his big men on resisting the urge to pick up Rondo immediately, which would allow Rondo to pass to his own low-post players for dunks.

``We try not to commit too early, because that's when they get you,'' Bynum said. ``You just have to stay disciplined, and we did that in Game 1.''

Boston ended up with playoff lows in field goals (29) and attempts (67), and Celtics coach Doc Rivers traces it all back to his team's play on defense.

Los Angeles surprised Boston by running relatively little of its customary triangle offense, instead using pick-and-roll plays that cleared space for numerous aggressive drives to the hoop, even by backup guards Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. Add that to a passionless rebounding effort in a foul-plagued game, and Rivers wasn't surprised to see the Celtics manage just 89 points.

``Rondo is not going to get going if we don't get stops,'' Rivers said. ``Our offense is directly connected to our defense. Every team's is, for the most part, if you want to run. If we're going to take the ball out of bounds, if they're going to shoot free throws, they're going to get second shots, Rondo is not going to be in the open court. If we can get multiple stops, we can get multiple runs.''

Rivers and Jackson both seemed pleased to have an extra day off between the series' first two games, as dictated by the NBA's television schedule. Sunday's meeting is the first of three in five days, with a cross-country flight thrown in, so the time for game-planning was Saturday, and both coaching staffs knew it.

``I think we gain some time for guys that obviously can use time,'' Jackson said, referring to several Lakers nursing minor injuries - including Bryant, who again watched practice from a folding chair at courtside.

Jackson said the break gives the Lakers ``an opportunity to digest some of the things that are ongoing, concerns about our team's effort, where we have to expend more energy, more focus. I think you lose a little bit of the continuity of that nervous energy that you build up to get into a series, so you can lose a little bit of your guard. That will be something we have to be prepared for.''

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Allen shoots lights out to take homecourt from Lakers

By Bryan Chu, for NBA.comPosted Monday June 7, 2010 1:23AM

LOS ANGELES (NBA.com exclusive) -- This was the earlier Rajon Rondo of the NBA playoffs.

This was the one who declared himself the best point guard in the league. Not the one who came up lame in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

This was the all-around Rondo, who had a series of huge plays late, including a jumper to ice the game.

Rondo's play and the explosive first half by Ray Allen proved too much for the Lakers as the Celtics pulled away with a 103-94 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center Sunday.

"Tonight was unbelievable," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of Rondo. "He was special tonight."

Rondo finished with 19 points, 10 assists, 12 rebounds and two steals. This marked his second triple-double this postseason and the fifth in his postseason career.

Though Rondo stole the show late, the first half was all about sharpshooter Allen.

After being plagued by foul trouble in Game 1 and scoring just 12 points, Allen absolutely thrashed the Lakers with his silky smooth shot. He finished with a game-high 32 points, 27 of which came in the first half. He also set an NBA Finals record for most 3-pointers in a game by going 8-for-11 from deep.

"It's definitely right up there," said Allen of setting the record and where this performance ranks in his career. "(It's) great to be able to look back on it and say I did that."

With the victory, the Celtics even the series at 1-1 and take homecourt advantage away from the Lakers. The next three games will be in Boston with Game 3 on Tuesday.

Though this game was decided in the final minutes, it seemed as if momentum was in favor of the Lakers. After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, they managed to tie it up 72-72 by the end of the third quarter.

There were several plays by the Lakers in the middle of the fourth quarter. One was a defensive stand. The Celtics had four cracks under the Lakers basket and couldn't convert. Andrew Bynum had a pair of blocks during that sequence. Then there was Kobe Bryant's double clutch bank shot. He was fouled too by Allen and converted the 3-point play. Then a series of turnovers by the Lakers hurt them down the stretch.

"We weren't playing smart," said Bynum, who tied a career-playoff high with 21 points and recorded six rebounds to go along with seven blocks. "We were playing bad basketball.

"We turned the ball over, it was that simple. Then Rondo is pushing it and Rondo hits an elbow jumper."

Los Angeles did have a 90-87 lead with 5:21 left in the game, but Boston closed out the game on a 16-4 run.

Rondo hurt the defending champs the most down the stretch. He pulled down rebounds (four offensive) like a younger Kevin Garnett. He got inside the Lakers defense for easy lay-ins. He scored eight of the team's 10 points at one point, including a key 16-foot jumper from the left elbow.

"He took a million of those shots this summer, and he didn't hesitate," Rivers said. "That was my favorite play for him."

This game is tough to swallow for the Lakers after coming in with all the momentum following a decisive victory in Game 1 Thursday.

"Everyone was just pissed off," said Bynum of the atmosphere in the locker room following the Lakers first home loss this postseason. "The coaching staff told us that this might be the last time we play here. I think that woke everybody up."

In the loss, Pau Gasol finished with a team-high 25 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Bryant scored 21 points but had an off night going 8-for-20 shooting. Bryant was also plagued with foul trouble, playing nearly the entire fourth quarter with five fouls.

As a team Los Angeles shot 40.8 percent to the Boston's 42.9 percent.

Someone who may have been overlooked in the Celtics' win was the play of reserve Nate Robinson. The Celtics late-season acquisition gave Rondo a breather in the fourth quarter and scored seven straight points in six minutes of action.

"Rondo was exhausted," Rivers said. "We needed offense. Ray was exhausted in that period, in that stretch, and we put in Nate...so that was big for us."

So was Allen.

He sank seven straight 3-pointers before missing a wide-open attempt in the final minute of the second quarter. Allen's seven makes in the first half tied a Finals record for most 3-pointers made in a game, a record he held along with Scottie Pippen and Kenny Smith. Bryant and Derek Fisher looked as if they were going through a gauntlet, trying to fight off a bevy of Boston screens to get to Allen, who needed just a ray of light to get his shot off.

Despite no other Celtic scoring more than six points in the first half, Allen and his blistering shooting helped Boston lead by as many as 14 points in the first half.

"He carried us the whole way," Rondo said. "He took over the game."

Added Robinson: "Ray is hands down the best shooter in NBA history. He's an amazing piece of work. It's kind of cool just watching him. Every time he gets the ball we think it's going in."

The defending champs will now have to make their adjustments as they head on the road. This postseason, the Lakers sport a 4-4 road record.

"There's no doubt it's a blow to use to lose the homecourt," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "But we anticipated this might happen, and we're just going to have to go pick it up."